Improvement in car-couplings



B. F. SWEET.

Car Coupling'.

Patented Oct. 29, 186

Witnesses: 925%@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

B. SVEET, OF FOND DU LAC, VISCONSIN.

lMP-ROVEM ENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,612, dated October 29, 1861.

.To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, B. F. SWEET, of the city and county of Fond du Lac, in the State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Oar- Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this speciication, in Which- Figure 1 is a side View of adraw-headwith a link and bolt, all being constructed and arranged according to my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical sect-ion of the same, taken in the line a; a: of Fig. 4; Fig. 3,a plan or top view of the same, and Fig. 4 a front view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several igures.

This invention relates to an improvementin the construction of the ordinary car-couplings, and has for its object economy of construction and durability-results which it is believed are obtained in a much greater degree than by the ordinary modes of construction.

The invention consists in having the front parts of the draw-heads which receive the link or shackle of cast-iron and having the plates or bars fitted therein by dovetails and secured by a shrunken wrought-iron band, substantially as hereinafter fully shown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A A represent the top and bottom plates or bars of the draw-head of a railroad-car, the former being attached to the latter in the usual or in any proper Way. The plates A A are of Wrought-iron, and they are provided at their front ends with dovetail terminals d a, which are fitted in corresponding recesses b in the upper and lower surfaces of the body B of the draw-head. The body B of the draw-head is of cast-iron, of circular form, and the front ends of the plates or bars A A are rmly secured in the recesses b of the body- B of the draw-head by means of a Wrought-iron band C, which is shrunk in the body B. This will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 4, in which the dovetail terminals aa of the plates A A are shown fitted in the recesses b b and encompassed by the band C. The body B of the draw-head has an elliptical opening c, which has a liaring or beveled front d to admit of the link or shackle D passing freely into it, (see Fig. 2,) and a pin E, which passes vertically through the plates A A, retains the link or shackle D in the head, as will be fully understood by referring to Figs. 1 and 2. The pin E fits in a groove or recess CZ at the back part of the body B of the head, and said groove or recess serves to steady the pin in proper position when tted in the plates or bars A A. The body B of the draw-head, being of cast-iron, is hard and durable and not capable of being battered and worn by the action of the link or shackle D, while the plates or bars A A, being of wrought-iron, are rendered capable of sustaining all lateral and vertical strain to which they may be subjected.

The construction of the draw-head as shown and described is extremely simple and durable.

Draw-heads cast in one piece or entirely of cast-iron'are very liable 'to break, the plates or bars A A not being able to resist a great lateral strain. Draw-heads constructed Wholly of wrought metal are very expensive and not very durable, as the body B is rather soft and liable to become bruised or batteredby the action of the link or shackle D. By having the body B of cast-iron and the platesA A of Wrought-iron, the latter being secured to the body B by dovetail connections and a shrunken wrought-iron band C, an economical and durable draw-head is obtained.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Constructing the draw-heads of railroadcars by having wrought-iron plates or bars A A fitted by means of dovetail connections in cast-iron bodies B and secured therein by shrunken wroughtiron bands C, substantially as shown and described.

B. F. SWEET. Witnesses:

H. CONKLIN, W. B. KELLoGG. 

